


Pyramid Panic

by Alisa180



Series: Gemstuck [1]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alpha Kids are Crystal Gems, Crossover, Death Traps, Gen, John is Their Protoge, Steven Universe AU, crossover AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-31
Updated: 2015-03-31
Packaged: 2018-03-20 12:49:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3650967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alisa180/pseuds/Alisa180
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John is finally on his first real mission with the Crystal Gems! He's determined to prove he's ready to start accompanying them. But between a skeptical Topaz (Dirk), an over-eager Tourmaline (Roxy) and Emerald (Jake), an ancient pyramid overflowing with traps, and his own inexperience, it won't be easy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pyramid Panic

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by this tumblr art (Which also serves as the visual reference for this fic):  
> http://reipx.tumblr.com/post/109269550991/steven-universe-homestuck-crossover-where-the
> 
> Full credit goes to this artist for the original concept. The only real change from that picture is that Roxy/Tourmaline has only one Gem, instead of two, located on her right hip (Jake/Emerald's is on his chest, and Dirk/Topaz's is on the back of his left hand).
> 
> This is based on the Steven Universe episode, "Serious Steven," but has it's own take on the scenario.

."Alright John, listen," Topaz said sternly, "This is your first serious mission. We need you to be sharp."

John saluted, "Yes, sir!"

He and the Crystal Gems were transversing a warp stream. Today was his first real mission. His first real step towards being a Crystal Gem. It felt like this day would never come!

"You worry too much, Topaz," Tourmaline said from her position next to the younger, "John'll be fine!"

"For once, we are in sincere agreement!" Emerald said from further over. He leaned over, catching John's eye with a grin, "It's nice to finally have you along with us!"

"Thanks you guys," John fisted his hands in excitement, "I've been looking forward to this for ages!"

Topaz shook his head, "The two of you…"

Tourmaline shot him a look, "What?"

"Nothing."

At times like these, when the rest of his face was otherwise expressionless, John wished Topaz didn't wear shades.

The warp stream vanished, depositing them on a warp pad, revealing their destination: A huge strawberry field with weapons strewn everywhere. John hopped off the pad.

"So, is the gem, like, located in an underground cavern around here or something?" He asked.

"You watch too many movies." Topaz strode past, walking up the path.

"To be fair, that does describe a good number of our missions," said Emerald, placing a hand on John's shoulder to indicate to follow. John hesitated, the significance of what was happening sinking in. His first mission. Topaz would be watching him like a hawk, judging if he was ready to accompany the Gems. As the leader, Topaz had the final say on such things. What if…

Tourmaline appeared next to him, leaning over with her hair dangling, "What's up?"

"I'm nervous all of a sudden," he admitted, grabbing his arm behind his back and looking away, "What if I screw up?"

She chuckled, "You'll be fine, trust me. 'Sides, even if you DO 'screw up', that's all part of learning. We've been at this for a long time. You're just starting. So try not to get too hung up on mistakes, okay?"

John nodded, "Okay."

They followed Topaz down the path, through the field. John glanced both ways, 

"What's with all the weapons lying around?"

"This was once the site of a great battle, thousands of years ago," explained Emerald, "Of course now, it's just a strawberry field. Amazing how the Earth is able to bounce back like this," he kneeled by one of the plants, "John, come here." John obeyed, leaning over. Emerald grasped one of the leaves, "Under human classification, this is known as _Fragaria virginiana_ , or the Virginia strawberry. It's a mite different from store-bought berries, those are actually hybrids of those plants and a European species."

"Hey, Emerald!" Tourmaline called, "You can geek out later. The mission comes first."

"Right, apologies." The pair rushed to catch up. Tourmaline gazed at one of the bushes as they walked by,

"More seriously though, John, how about we go berry picking once this mission is over? Do you know how to make strawberry shortcake?"

He rubbed the back of his neck, "Technically, though I've never actually made it before. I'm willing to give it a shot, though."

"Perfect!" She shut her eyes with a dreamy expression, "Mm, my mouth is already watering at the thought of it..."

"I fail to see the appeal." Topaz deadpanned.

"Hey," She opened her eyes and glared, "Some of us happen to LIKE eating. You have no idea what your missing. I mean, even Emerald recently-"

"Whoa." John stopped short. The Crystal Gems halted. A huge, upside down pyramid towered over them. He stared up at it. Was this one of those magic places that contained Gems?

Topaz stepped in front of the door, summoning a strangely-shaped stone. It fit itself into an indent on the door. The stone door raised with a slow grinding noise. They followed Topaz inside, and John gasped,

"Whoa!" 

A huge dome stretched far above them. The ceiling depicted several large, stylized, scenes, including what seemed to be two figures leading forces against each other. John spun every which way as he walked through, trying to take in every detail.

Emerald stood to one side, gazing up at the dome, "Look at those murals! They must be depicting the same battle that took place here long ago. Before I forget..." His Gem glowed, summoning a small camera. He snapped photos of the ceiling.

A pedestal about a head shorter then John stood in the center of the room, an upside down pyramid floating above it. He approached curiously, gripping it's edge and tilting his head at the sight.

"Hey, what's this?"

"Hm?" Emerald's Gem sucked his camera back in as he looked in John's direction. He went to John's side, examining the artifact, "...Excellent question. I have my suspicions, but..." John nudged the object slightly with a finger.

"Emerald," Tourmaline called from another corner of the room, "I swear, if you trigger another trap..."

John's eyes widened as his nudge easily flipped the object, turning the small pyramid right-side up. The building rumbled.

"Emerald!" Tourmaline yelled, running over, Topaz coming from the other side. Emerald threw up his hands in defense.

"Wasn't me this time."

"Sorry!" John cringed, as the other two Gems cast him an incredulous look.

And suddenly he was floating! So were the others. The world flipped upside down, hurtling the Crystal Gems through a hole in the ceiling-turned-floor. Another room, and the floor was coming right at him-!

He landed, stomach first, on the ground. "Oof!" Oww...He stood, winded.

A sound of stone on stone. Above, something covered the hole they had fallen through, momentarily plunging them into darkness. Torches flared to life, illuminating a circular room lined with several doors.

"I'm really sorry!" John repeated. Barely ten minutes in, and he'd already screwed up. That had to be some kind of record. Call it strike one.

"Eh, don't get your knickers in a twist over it," Emerald smiled reassuringly, "Sometimes just pulling something and seeing what happens is the best way to make progress. For instance," he made a sweeping gestures towards the room, "This looks to be the main chamber. I bet we're more likely to find the gem here, then back up there."

"Question is," Tourmaline said, "Where?"

"We'll have to split up and search this place for clues," said Topaz.

"Sounds great!" She slung an arm around John's shoulder, "John, wanna come with me? Could be fun."

"Now excuse me," Emerald huffed, taking John's arm "I was hoping he'd accompany me in this expedition."

John glanced awkwardly between the two Gems. "Uh..."

"John is with me."

His head snapped to Topaz behind him, "Really?"

Tourmaline looked at Topaz in surprise, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am," He leveled a serious look at the youngest Gem, "But John, listen to me. I need you to stay close, and pay attention, understand?"

John nodded, "Understood! I'll be as sharp as a-" His foot caught on one of the floor indention. "Whoa!" He fell flat on his face for the second time. Darn it.

Once again, he found himself wishing Topaz didn't wear those shades. It was hard to tell what he was thinking, as John hauled himself back to his feet.

Strike two, he guessed.

"Let's go." Topaz turned, walking towards one of the doors. John followed close behind him.

"Be careful you two!" Tourmaline called.

"We will!" John called back over his shoulder.

They proceeded down the hallway. John rubbed one of his arms uncomfortably at the silence. Topaz was hard to read even on a good day.

"So, um, this place is like a temple, right? With booby traps and all that?"

"I reiterate my earlier statement: You watch too many movies," Topaz sighed, "But yes, I'd expect a trap or two. As I've said before, keep sharp."

They stepped through the door at the end at the hallway. It slammed shut behind them, metal bars further sealing it. John looked at Topaz,

"Trap?"

"Trap."

The floor of the room was covered in panels, several of which lit up. John's eyes lit up in recognition,

"I've seen this! You have to stay on the lit up spots. Like this!" He jumped to one. No reaction. He jumped from one to another, making absolute sure not to touch the rest of the floor. Didn't want to mess up again.

He released a breath when he reached the panel adjoining the exit. He turned to face Topaz, still making his way across,

"See? Easy enough!" 

The entire room shuddered, knocking him off balance. Now what was happening? . "Whoa!" He fell forward, his front half landing outside the glowing zone. The whole floor turned red.

Strike three.

Stone blocks fell away, revealing a pit of fire. He scrambled to his feet, trying to get back to the once-glowing block.

The floor fell away. He grabbed the edge of the block as he fell. Okay, he could still salvage this. Just had to pull himself-

His grip slipped. The fire rushed towards him.

"John!"

An hand grabbed his arm. "Topaz!" He reached and clutched the Gem's other arm. Grunting, Topaz hauled him up. He fell backward, John falling on him.

John breathed hard, his heart going a mile a minute. Topaz sat up,

"Are you okay?"

Y-yeah...Thanks..." He slid off, and the two of them got to their feet.

"Then let's move on."

That could have gone a lot better. He needed to get his act together if he wanted to prove himself!

The next room was an empty hallway. But if John knew anything about traps, looks could be deceiving.

"Empty. Come on." Topaz started forward. John proceeded cautiously, watching his every step and the floor for any signs of something that could set a trap off. Topaz glanced over his shoulder, "What are you doing?"

"In empty rooms, there's usually an unexpected trigger for the trap. You have to be careful."

Topaz sighed, leaning a hand against a wall, "John, this isn't the plot of one of your mov-" The wall tile sunk in under his weight. Spikes appeared on the ceiling above them, rapidly descending. 

"Run!" He yelled.

The two dashed through the room, reaching the door on the other end. The spiked ceiling slammed down behind them. John leaned over on his knees and panted,

"Told you. Not like one of my movies, huh? That was pretty much a scene from pretty much every temple adventure movie, ever."

Topaz adjusted his shades, knocked askew by the rush, "...Let's move on."

They went through the door, which as usual barred behind them after they entered.

A huge room with a spiked floor, swinging blades, and lava periodically pouring on the few platforms scattered around.

The whole room was shuddering again. John felt dizzy/

"This isn't going to be easy, not by a long shot...John?"

/

oh, hey guys! look at this! it just came out on dvd. you want to watch it together?

Sorry scamp. Afraid we must postpone for a real adventure.

oh…you're going on a mission, aren't you?

you bet now come on!

huh? what do you mean?

We've been discussing it, and…We've decided to bring you along on this one and see how it goes."

really!?

yes! really! get your butt over here!

i'm coming!

…whats with the look?

Nothing. Let's go.

/

John came to lying on the floor. Ugh, what had-Oh, he'd passed out, right. He sat up and came face to face with Topaz's shades.

"What happened?"

"You passed out and I carried you."

"Carried-" John looked over his shoulder. They were on the other side of the room, the wealth of dangers behind them. He stood shakily to his feet, "Sorry…Falling over is all I seem to be capable of today…"

"…Come on."

They went through the hallway. When they emerged…They were back in the circular room.

"We're back were we started?"

"Topaz. Good timing!" Emerald dashed over to them, "We've been running around this place, and no matter what, we keeping coming back here. We must have tried at least three different hallways by now."

"Make that four." Tourmaline emerged from a door, one of her arms hanging at her side, frozen solid. John's eyes widened,

"Are you okay!?"

She shrugged with one hand, "Probably not the worst thing that can happen in this place. All these rooms are death traps."

Emerald placed a hand on his chin, "Between that and all them somehow leading back here, likely no one was intended to leave this place alive."

"But then…How are we supposed to get out?" John asked.

Topaz crossed his arms, "Simply put, we can't. Not under normal circumstances. The only way we can do this is by continuing to go through these rooms, until we find something." He glanced down at the youngest, "John, I want you to stay here."

"Huh? But why? I want to help!"

"I understand that. But this mission is far more dangerous then I anticipated. Honestly, it was a mistake bringing you with in the first place."

"Topaz!" Tourmaline yelled.

He covered his eyes with one hand, "…Sorry, that was worded poorly. What I mean is this," He kneeled in front of John, "You're still very young, and your powers are still emerging. I just think you aren't ready to go with us on missions yet." John looked down. Topaz placed a hand on the younger's head, causing him to look back up, "Try not to take it too hard okay? I just don't want to see you hurt. And in a few more years, who knows?"

John nodded wordlessly. With a small smile, Topaz rose, and turned to the other Gems, "Tourmaline, you stay here until your arm thaws. Emerald, come with me."

"…Wait!" John cried.

"Don't worry, we'll be back."

"But all these rooms are traps, right? What are you looking for?"

"One that might help us escape."

"But what are the chances of that?"

"Won't know until we try."

"Wait! Back when I fell in that fire trap…It felt like the room was moving. What if...What if it WAS moving?"

Topaz's head snapped over his shoulder, "What are you trying to say?"

"In situations like this, you have to really think," John paced to the center of the room, "There has to be something we can do besides go through these rooms over and over…"

"John?" Tourmaline watched him, confused.

"I'm thinking…" He snapped a finger, "That's it! Tourmaline, can you use your weapon to blast through the floor?"

She blinked, "What for?"

"I just have a hunch. Please?"

She tapped her fingers on her arm in thought, before nodding, "Alright, let's give it a shot!" She summoned her weapon from her Gem, a large rifle. Her defrosting arm held up the front end aimed at the floor, pink colored energy gathering at the muzzle.

"I don't-" Topaz began, as the rifle charged, "Wait-!"

Tourmaline fired. The energy blast ripped through the floor, . John yelled, as the ground gave way from under him.

He glimpsed a mass of moving, triangular platforms. Someone grabbed his arm, breaking his fall. Topaz! The Gem hauled him up onto the platform he'd landed on, and John gripped it tightly to keep from falling off. A quick glance around showed him Emerald and Tourmaline, in similar positions around the room. The platforms all orbited at a good speed around an obelisk, which emitted a soft white light.

Emerald whistled, "Whoa nelly! Now THERE'S an impressive piece of work. Topaz, what is it?"

Topaz lifted left hand, the Gem projecting a hologram, "It's a Gem powered mechanism. It's been rotating the rooms above us, so each room we enter is turned around until we return to the main room."

John scrunched his eyes, trying to examine the obelisk from the distance. In it, there seemed to be…a diamond? He tugged on Topaz's arm, and pointed, "Over there! Is that the gem?"

Topaz leaned over, "Probably."

"I think, from here, I can..." John tried standing on his knees, and quickly lost his balance. Topaz grabbed his arm, keeping him steady as the younger Gem drew himself fully to his feet.

"On my mark, jump for it. Ready? One…Two…Now!"

John launched himself from the platform as Topaz released his grip. He landed on his knees next to the obelisk. Perfect landing! For once. Intricate designs decorated the obelisk, centered around the white gem embedded in it. He grasped it, and pulled, leaning back.

A clicking sound drew his attention. The triangular tip of the obelisk rotated, then stopped. The gem flashed yellow. It popped free, and he toppled backwards with a surprised yelp. The platforms ceased moving.

He stared at the gem on his lap, a white diamond. He…He did it! He actually-

The gem glowed a bright yellow. The platforms in the room lit up the same color, and began dissolving. Their remnant gathered in the gems, making it glow brighter and brighter-

He'd seen enough of these kinds of scenes to know _exactly_ what was going to happen next. He grabbed the gem and shut his eyes tightly.

The world exploded in a rush of smoke, stone, and fire. Oddly, there was no heat, no pain. It was like it didn't exist except for the sound. He risked opening his eyes.

For a split second, the world had a blue filter.

The next moment, it vanished, and he landed on a bush. He ignored the sticks scratching at him to sit up. What had happened back there?

"John! Are you okay!?"

The Crystal Gems ran over. He lifted the gemstone, "Look guys!"

Tourmaline reached out and bubbled it, "Nice work!" The bubbled gem vanished, spirited off to a room back home, "How'd you survive that?"

John placed a hand on the side of his head, "I have no idea, actually…"

Emerald grabbed the younger around the chest, hauling him out of the bush and placing him upright on the ground. "You did darn well for your first real mission. Wouldn't you say so, Topaz?" The other Gem looked away, a finger on his chin and a hand on his elbow. "Topaz?"

"I don't get it," Topaz turned to John, "How'd you figure the mechanism?"

John rubbed the back of his head, "I didn't. I just figured that since the gem wasn't up, or in any of the rooms to the left or right, the only place left was down."

"That's…really good thinking actually…"

"Oh yeah!" Tourmaline hugged him tightly around the neck, squeezing him, "That's thinking around corners!"

He choked, "Tourmaline…I can't…!"

Her grip loosened as she smirked at Topaz, "Soooo, do you still regret bringing him along?"

"…No, I don't. I'm sorry for what I said earlier. Just as I underestimated the danger, it seems I underestimated your abilities. Can you forgive me for the thoughtless comments?"

"Of course I can! You were just worried, right? And to be fair, I was having second thoughts too…"

"I would say this proves you're able to handle some of this stuff. We'll start bringing you on more missions from now on."

Tourmaline's grip re-tightened, "Alright!"

Emerald ruffled John's hair, "Congratulations, old sport!"

He shrunk under the attention, embarrassed,

"Which reminds me," Tourmaline released John and summoned a bucket from her Gem, "Anyone wanna help me pick strawberries?"

/

shortcake's ready!  
This looks nothing like cake…  
its shortcake theres a difference here have some whipped cream  
This is a mighty fine looking dish john. Bet it tastes as good as it smells.  
i hope so. i've never tried this recipe before. i'm worried i didn't prepare the strawberries right.  
mmmm…dont be…this is perfect…  
I concur. I had no idea you had such a knack with baked goods.  
well, dad likes baking. and his mom was really good at it. he used to make her old recipes all the time. i learned most of what i know from him. i should see if i can get copies of those, now that i think about it…  
…topaz you havent touched your share  
Sorry. Just not used to...  
oh come on! its really good and john worked hard on it! at least try it  
Alright… …  
So what do you think?  
was it okay? i didn't mess up, did i?  
…It's good. Nice job.  
oh yes! strike another covert! just wait theres all kinds of things that i just know youll love!  
…I think you're getting ahead of yourself.

**Author's Note:**

> Thoughts? Comments? I plan to make more stories in this AU, so look forward to that!


End file.
